Deification of believers in eternal life, according to father Dumitru Stăniloae

Abstract

Deification is a central theme in Orthodox theology, with strong meanings and implications for everything that represents the process of spiritual life. Prof. Dumitru Stăniloae pays special attention to the theme of deification, and his entire theological approach is based on this teaching of the church. This article analyses the whole conception of Father Dumitru Stăniloae regarding a more restricted topic that is hardly treated in theology, namely deification in eternal life. In this sense, this analysis discusses a number of aspects related to the presentation of deification in two stages or plans (deification in the broad sense and deification in the narrow sense): the dogmatic foundation of deification and the dynamic and endless aspect that deification will know in eternal life. In eternal life, the deification that began in earthly life continues indefinitely.